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The Burning Details

1981 Certificate 18
  • Rated:
  • 50
  • from 2250 members

FRIDAY THE 13th spawned an entire generation of imitators, but few were quite as accomplished as Tony Maylam's THE BURNING. Featuring effects by Tom Savini (DAWN OF THE DEAD), the film begins as a group of rambunctious kids plays a prank on the janitor at their summer camp that goes horribly wrong and results in him suffering .. Read more

Starring Holly Hunter, Brian Matthews, Leah Ayers, Brian Backer
Director Tony Maylam
Genres Horror

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The Burning

FRIDAY THE 13th spawned an entire generation of imitators, but few were quite as accomplished as Tony Maylam's THE BURNING. Featuring effects by Tom Savini (DAWN OF THE DEAD), the film begins as a group of rambunctious kids plays a prank on the janitor at their summer camp that goes horribly wrong and results in him suffering severe burns. After five years in the hospital, he gets out and heads back to the camp for revenge, where one of his tormentors is now a counselor. The film sticks to all the conventions of 1980s movies (e.g. making each kid either a jock, nerd, prankster, etc.) and boasts outstanding gore effects. THE BURNING (which includes early screen appearances by Holly Hunter, Jason Alexander, and Fisher Stevens) is a campy, well done slasher film with a few genuinely disturbing moments.

Starring Holly Hunter, Brian Matthews, Leah Ayers, Brian Backer, Larry Joshua
Director Tony Maylam
Studio CRYPTKEEPERS COLLECTION
Run time DVD: 1 hr 27 mins
Certificate Certificate 18
Genres Horror
Language DVD: English
Released DVD: 03 Nov 2008
Production year: 1981
Format DVD

  • Critics' reviews (2) of The Burning

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  • 1 stars out of 5

    A highly derivative FRIDAY tHE 13TH clone that found itself on the infamous video nasty list and accompanying furore in the early eighties. A horribly-burned summer camp caretaker returns with scissors and shears to take bloody vengeance on the promiscuous teens responsible for the joke-gone-wrong that caused his fiery scars. Despite the viciously effective gore, inept direction by Tony Maylam and a predictable script causes boredom to set in very early on. Future stars Jason Alexander and Holly Hunter make early screen appearances, Alexander went on to find fame in the very different Seinfeld TV series.

    • Radio Times
    • Posted 29 Jan 2006

  • Dire, totally predictable, uninventive low-budget horror.

    • Halliwell's Film Guide
    • Posted 02 Mar 2006

  • Most helpful member's review of The Burning

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  • 13 out of 13 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 3 stars

    Previously butchered by the censors

    Story about a camp caretaker who gets burt to a crisp after a prank gone wrong, five years later he gets out of hospital and exats revenge at the camp.

    This sounds a lot like friday the 13th, but is quite good if you like cheesy horrors frow the early 80's video nasties era. There was an earlier version of this released on DVD which was cut. This version is the FULL uncut version. Some of the effects look a bit ropey now, others are stomach churning. Lots of femaly nudity in an exploitative un politically correct way that would never be allowed in films today.

      • A customer from cardiff
      • Posted 27 May 2004 18:39

  • Most recent members' review of The Burning

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  • 1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

    Rated - 2 stars

    The Burning

    Watced this film when Iwas a kid and vividly remember all the death scenes. But as with all 'Banned' horror films of the 80s, watching it again I realised just how poor the acting direction and scares actually are.

      • A customer from Benfleet
      • Posted 05 Jan 2008 14:37

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2,250 Member ratings
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248
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476
  • 50
379
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328
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163
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200
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109

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      • FRIDAY THE 13th spawned an entire generation of imitators, but few were quite as accomplished as Tony Maylam's THE BURNING. Featuring effects by Tom Savini (DAWN OF THE DEAD), the film begins as a ...